The top of Zugspitze -- the tallest mountain in Germany (9,718 feet) -- is visible behind icicles hanging from a roof. Some roads in the area have been closed due to the danger of avalanches after heavy snowfall in the last few days.

A volunteer prepares to launch a hot-air balloon in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Two balloons were launched to spotlight the threat forests face in the area, which is known for coal mining.

The Coast Guard cutter Healy, left, approaches the Russian-flagged tanker Renda while breaking ice around the vessel 97 miles south of Nome. The two vessels departed Dutch Harbor for Nome on Jan. 3 to deliver more than 1.3 million gallons of petroleum products.

A Hindu devotee walks at Sangam, the confluence of two actual rivers -- the Ganges and Yamuna -- and the mythical Saraswati river. During the month-long Hindu religious observance of Magh Mela, people bathe at the confluence to wash away sins.

A protester carries a dog adorned with a fedora and a kaftan in mockery of the fedora-wearing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets for the second time in three days to protest the end of fuel subsidies in Africa's largest oil producer, where consumer prices have more than doubled.

Residents burn tires and wave a flag as they await the demolition of their homes. Several people were injured -- including residents, police officers and members of the demolition crew -- as residents defied eviction. The land is proposed as the site of a new city hall, a shopping mall and condominiums.

Pictures in the News | January 11, 2012

We have a celestial start to Wednesday’s Pictures in the News with an image of the Milky Way illuminating the sky above the La Silla Observatory in Chile.

In Brussels, cardboard cutouts of prisoners are used for a protest by Amnesty International to mark 10 years after the first terrorist suspects were placed in the U.S. prison camp Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty International released a 60-page report to mark the anniversary, detailing the history of Guantanamo under former president George W. Bush and laying out what it says are the daily and blatant violations of human rights that occur there.

In Nigeria, protesters carry a dog adorned with a fedora hat and a kaftan in the northern Nigerian city of Kano in mockery of the fedora-wearing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets for the second time in three days to protest the ending of fuel subsidies in Africa’s largest oil producer, where prices for consumers more than doubled.

Elsewhere, tourists walk next to the ruins of the 5th century B.C. Temple of Poseidon in Greece; the Coast Guard cutter Healy approaches the Russian-flagged tanker Renda while breaking ice around the vessel 97 miles south of Nome; and the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela continues in India.

Add stops in London, Austria, Afghanistan and the Philippines to round out the report.